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  • Foreword
  • Introduction
  • How to use this resource
  • What do we mean?
  • What the law says
  • The recruitment process
  • Promoting well-being
  • Talking at an early stage
  • Issues to raise
  • Keeping in touch
  • Supporting an employee who is off sick
  • Returning to work
  • Examples of reasonable adjustments
  • Managing an ongoing illness while at work
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Introduction

The importance of good mental health at work

The Foresight Programme’s Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project, whose report was published in October 2008, defined mental health as:

“a positive sense of wellbeing; individual resources including self-esteem, optimism, and sense of mastery and coherence; the ability to initiate, develop and sustain mutually satisfying personal relationships; and the ability to cope with adversity (resilience).”

The workplace has an impact on people’s health and well-being although it is not the only factor. Evidence shows that, in general, being in work is good for health and beneficial to well-being and the benefits apply equally to all employees.

Poor conditions in the workplace however, characterised by high demand, low levels of control and poor support, can have a detrimental impact on health and well-being and limit the benefits of working for some people.

Employers obviously want to maximise productivity as well as support their employees. Therefore it is important that line managers understand how to create conditions that support and encourage good mental health whilst also recognising signs of ill health and providing the appropriate support.

The stigma that unfortunately surrounds mental health conditions creates a major obstacle. It can prevent employees from talking about their condition to colleagues or managers because they fear discrimination. This together with a lack of awareness and understanding of mental health conditions can further exacerbate the issue by preventing mental health and the underlying issues from being addressed.

The Shift Line Managers’ Resource, along with the additional information on the web, provides practical support for you to create an environment that is good for mental health,
initiate interventions to raise awareness and shows what you can do to support staff who maybe experiencing problems with their mental health. By improving mental health outcomes at work you will benefit from;

• compliance with legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act
  
• reduced grievance and discrimination claims
  
• demonstrable corporate social responsibility
  
• reduced staff turnover
  
• reduced sickness absence
  
• a healthier workplace
  
• better staff morale
  
• better customer service
  
• more committed staff, and
  
• skills retention.

Next page: How to use this resource